Great night for Section II girls’ basketball

Sitting courtside at Hudson Valley Community College provided the perfect vantage point to see the Bethlehem High girls’ team come of age Wednesday night.

The Eagles stunned Amsterdam 51-45 in the Section II Class AA semifinals. The Rams (22-1) were ranked No. 1 in the state and earned a No. 24 national ranking from USA Today Wednesday morning. The Running Rams season ended at 7:35 p.m.

“Going into (the season), we felt we could compete with anybody all year long,” Bethlehem coach Mark Nealon said. “We knew Amsterdam was good. Even though (starter Michela Ottati) went down, they still won without her before, so we’re going to take anything away from our girls. They played a phenomenal game today.”

Bethlehem (21-2), ranked No. 10 in the state, prevailed on the strength of its defensive effort. Amsterdam senior point guard Megan Gaugler finished with 11 points on 3 of 10 accuracy — including a 50-foot jumper at the buzzer. Senior center Brittany Stahura fouled out with 5:10 left and managed just six points on 1 of 5 shooting.

Amsterdam is known for its aggressive style. The Eagles were more physical and tenacious from the opening tip.

Asked if he was surprised at how aggressive and physical Bethlehem played Wednesday, Amsterdam coach Eric Duemler was candid in his response.
“No question,” Duemler said. “They had three people around `Britt’ all night and they were really shadowing Megan, trying to make someone else hurt them. They played great defense.”

Bethlehem junior guard Taylor Teal spent Wednesday draped all over Gaugler. The senior standout never had room to operate. Gaugler did not take a shot in the fourth quarter until there was 1:30 left.

“That was my job. My job was to let her shot and not let her get the ball,” Teal said. “She is the point guard, so I tried to do my best in denying her up the court.”

“Taylor Teal is probably one of the most athletic girls in Section II. She is a phenomenal soccer player who moves her feet well and is really strong,” Nealon said. “We knew she was going to have that assignment all day. She was up to the challenge and did a wonderful job.”

Meg Olsen handled the offensive load for Bethlehem. The junior guard came through with several clutch baskets near the end of the shot clock, finishing with a game-high 21 points.

Olsen also delivered the dagger to the Running Rams — a 3-pointer for the top of the circle with 1:06 left that provided the Eagles a 47-37 cushion.

“That was pretty exciting for me. We had a lot of momentum going in,” Olsen said.

“Amsterdam didn’t get into a flow in the first half. Either did we, but we stuck with our game plan,” Nealon said. “We didn’t make many adjustments. We felt what we were doing was working and we grinded it out, so it was exciting.”

Bethlehem reserve Rosie McKee scored eight points, including five straight late in the third quarter after Amsterdam cut its deficit to 27-25.

“Everyone who played contributed. The people off the bench really came through. We needed it,” Teal said.

Bethlehem lost twice to Shenendehowa during the regular season. The Eagles get a chance at redemption in the Class AA title game Saturday at HVCC. Game time is 5:15 p.m.

“Obviously, Bethlehem is a great team. It is tough to beat a team three times, but we’ll be ready,” Shenendehowa senior guard Barb Shea said. “We haven’t reached our goal yet.”

Albany, playing without junior standout Shenekwa Stewart, pushed the Plainsmen hard through the first 26 minutes. Shenendehowa’s defense, keyed by Shea and senior guard Carey Turner, helped force Albany into five straight turnovers to help ignite a 12-0 run that turned a 33-27 lead into a 45-27 cushion.

“(Shea) came up with some big plays on turnovers. Shen’s going to kill you every time with turnovers,” Albany coach Leslie Bogucki said. “We came up dry. They had three runs that hurt us.”

“I told Leslie that they gave a great effort and gave us all we could ask for, and more,” Shenendehowa coach Ken Strube said of the Falcons. “They have nothing to be ashamed of. It only got to 16 in the last three minutes.”

“They played a very good game,” Shea said. “We got a little lackadaisical in the first half. We kept at it and got our flow going a little bit in the second half. We finally put it away.”

Shenendehowa has not won the Section II title since 2004.

“It never gets old. It never gets boring and you never take anything for granted,” Strube said. “We’re looking forward to Saturday.”

Albany (17-6) made its first appearance at HVCC since winning the 1997 Class A state title.

“For us to get here is great. This team accomplished a lot this year,” Bogucki said.

Class A

The top seeds advanced to Saturday’s final with victories at Colonie High.

Averill Park used 19 points from sophomore star Katie Duma and 12 from Katie McGrath to avenge a 2007 semifinal loss with a 49-37 triumph over Holy Names.

Once again, the top two seeds advanced — but it was a struggle for both.

No. 1 Hoosic Valley watched Ichabod Crane score the most points the Indians have allowed all season, but they still managed to emerge with a 39-37 victory. Kayla Ryan netted 14 points and Samantha Anderson added 11 points (including two late free throws to win it).

No. 2 Cohoes needed a 25-4 fourth-quarter performance to record a 54-34 win over Hudson. The trio of Courtney Galuski, Meg Keeler and Kali Maloney combined to score 39 points.

Class CC

The theme continues as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds advance.

Top-seeded Mechanicville used 15 points each from senior guards Kelly Murphy and Lindsey McKeever in a 49-31 verdict over Lake George.

No. 2 Watervliet advanced to the all-Colonial Council final with a 45-35 victory over Voorheesville. Paige Colfer tallied 17 points and Chanessa Blakemore added 11.

Class C

Seems like we’ve talked about this before. Yes, the top two seeds advanced to Friday’s championship game.

No. 1 Schenectady Christian posted a 61-37 win over tourney upstart Duanesburg. Sarah Child poured in 27 points and Ashlyn Slater added 21 in her second game back from injury.

No. 2 Maple Hill used 17 points from Sarah Timmons and 10 points by Stephanie Racz to produce a 44-28 decision over Middleburgh.

Friday and Saturday are sure to provide plenty more thrills.

The best performance Wednesday, however, definitely goes to Bethlehem in the most intense Section II girls’ game played this season.